- With over 260 hotels in operation and more than 30 hotels to open in 2014, one of Asia Pacific's largest hotel companies will add over 25,000 associates across the division by the end of 2014
- Starwood Careers Day to attract top talent across Asia Pacific, targeting those with a passion for travel and hospitality for the career of a lifetime
Singapore - March 13, 2014 - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific announced today it will launch Starwood Careers Day, a division-wide effort aimed at attracting passionate individuals to explore a range of employment opportunities in dynamic Starwood properties across the region.
To be held on March 21, 2014, the event will take place in more than 120 locations across Asia Pacific; key cities include Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New Delhi, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
"This is an exciting time to join Starwood Asia Pacific. As we forge ahead with expansion, we are putting more and more focus on talent recruitment and development to fill the ever-growing need for the best and the brightest," said Stephen Ho, President, Asia Pacific, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. "Starwood's culture is defined by our belief that people want a better way to experience the world, and the success we enjoy today as one of the world's most innovative hospitality brands is a testament to how we have unified our culture around this shared belief."
Starwood Careers Day 2014 encapsulates Starwood's recruitment strategy that goes beyond talent attraction, to building meaningful long-term careers for those who join the organization. The event consolidates the strengths of Starwood's nine hotel brands and offers talent the unique opportunity to explore a career that is broad-based in terms of portfolios, and one that offers highly sought-after regional and global exposure.
Grow with Starwood
Asia Pacific continues to fuel growth for Starwood globally. The company currently operates over 260 hotels, with an additional 200 hotels in the pipeline. In 2014, the company announced that it is on track to open over 30 hotels in the region - an average of one hotel every 12 days! As the fastest growing division, Starwood Asia Pacific employs over 73,000 associates, nearly half of all Starwood associates worldwide.
To sustain this growth trajectory, Starwood Careers was conceptualized in Asia Pacific to align with the region's unique business needs. Through a focused and targeted talent management system, Starwood Careers embraces three strategic approaches: attracting and recruiting the right talent to fuel growth through effective employer branding; effectively developing high quality talent through enhanced development experiences; and retaining valued employees through partnering with them in their professional journey of achieving career aspirations. These initiatives encompass associates at all levels, reflecting the company's concerted effort to nurture talent to be ready for the next stage of their careers.
Starwood Careers Day 2014 kick starts Starwood Asia Pacific's goal to fill over 25,000 positions at all levels and functions by the end of 2014.
"Starwood Careers offers all talent, regardless of their level in the organization, a clear career path," explained Claudia Albalaa, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. "We provide our associates with clear guidelines and specifications on career advancement, including relevant skill development and professional programs -- this is the greatest impact Starwood Careers brings to our people."
Employer of Choice
Starwood Careers is already generating significant benefits, reflecting Starwood's aim to become an employer of choice in the region. Many of the company's hotels in Asia Pacific enjoy higher-than-industry-average employee retention rates. Starwood Careers has also helped advance employee diversity, including and fostering the local talent pool.
In Greater China, for example, an increasing number of hotel general managers are of Chinese descent - 49 compared to only four in 2009 - with over 60 candidates rising to high-level positions. Additionally, the total number of Chinese associates at managerial levels has more than doubled since 2009 to 4,000. In Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the General Manager Track Development program has developed a strong pipeline of female talent to assume leadership positions, and female general managers now make up a quarter of the total general manager positions in this region. Additionally, employee engagement is high, with close to 90% of Asia Pacific associates expressing a keen sense of belonging to Starwood.
This focused approach to employee development has garnered numerous awards throughout Asia Pacific. Recent accolades include Best in Employee Career Development conferred at the Benefits Asia Awards; Gold Award in Excellence in Employee Engagement and Excellence in Cross-border HR Program from the Human Resources Awards 2013; Best Employer India 2013 in Aon Hewitt's Best Employer Study; 100 Best Human Resource Management Companies of 2013 in China; and most recently, Best Employee Engagement Award from the Human Resource Management Awards 2014.
Career of a Lifetime
With Starwood Careers Day's extensive reach across Asia Pacific, regional candidates will have the chance to discover career growth opportunities within Starwood Asia Pacific, and meet with Human Resources representatives from various Starwood hotels in the city to share their professional aspirations and discuss career opportunities. Positions are available in the following fields: Front Office, Sales & Marketing, Human Resources, Revenue Management, Finance, Concierge, Rooms, Food & Beverage, Housekeeping, Kitchen, Stewarding, Engineering, Security, Accounting and Administration.
For those ready to learn, grow and shine, a career at Starwood is like no other. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.jobs.
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About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with nearly 1,200 properties in 100 countries, and 181,400 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element®. The company boasts one of the industry's leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
Punnee Bunma
MANAGER, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
T 65 6335 4824 M 65 9770 5234 F 65 6335 4820
STARWOOD ASIA PACIFIC HOTELS & RESORTS PTE.LTD.
9 TEMASEK BOULEVARD, #24-02
SUNTEC TOWER TWO
SINGAPORE 038989
Alethea Lam
DIRECTOR, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
T 65 6335 4804 F 65 6335 4820
STARWOOD ASIA PACIFIC HOTELS & RESORTS PTE.LTD.
9 TEMASEK BOULEVARD, #24-02
SUNTEC TOWER TWO
SINGAPORE 038989